Connect with Us

Fashion photographer Irving Penn dead at 92

A photograph by Irving Penn of Jean Patchett for the April 1, 1950 Vogue cover is seen during The Costume Institute's 'Models As Muse' exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York May 4, 2009. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. fashion and portrait photographer Irving Penn died on Wednesday in New York at the age of 92, a spokesman for his studio said.

Penn's work has been shown in galleries around the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and several books of his works have been published.

"He was probably most famous for photographing Parisian fashion models and the world's great cultural figures, but he seemed equally at home photographing Peruvian peasants or bunion pads," The New York Times obituary said.

Penn had a long association with Vogue, photographing countless covers for the magazine.

The Los Angeles Times described him as "a grand master of American fashion photography whose "less is more" aesthetic combined with a startling sensuality defined a visual style that he applied to designer dresses or fleshy nudes, famous artists or tribal chiefs, cigarette butts or cosmetics jars."

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols)

We encourage an open exchange of ideas on this story's topic, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. Personal attacks, inappropriate language, and off-topic comments may be removed, and comment privileges revoked, per our Terms of Use. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.